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#3 Ja Morant
Ja Morant is still young in his NBA career. The Memphis Grizzlies point guard has a lot of time to improve before he becomes a top-rated player in his position. Morant has shown the potential to be a high-volume scorer and a solid playmaker. His career averages of 18.4 points and 7.3 assists per game are a great testament to that.
However, his scoring remains a work in progress. He will need to work on his shooting to improve his scoring. Morant is a very streaky shooter. He made 47% from the field in his rookie season, but that number went down to 44.9% last campaign.
Morant's 3-point and free-throw shooting haven't been impressive for a point guard who works best at the offensive end. He has converted just 31.2% of his 3-point shots and 75% of his free-throw attempts in his last two NBA seasons.
#2 Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook will finally be playing for his hometown team, the LA Lakers, in the NBA. That isn't something a lot of analysts and fans were too excited about, though. Many feel Westbrook may not make the Lakers a better team.
That's because he isn't one of the best shooting point guards in the NBA. The former OKC Thunder talisman has shot 43.7% from the field and 30% from the 3-point line throughout his NBA career. His inefficiency for someone who has averaged 18.8 attempts per game from the field is sub-par.
It has been an area of his game that he has been heavily criticized for throughout his career.
Westbrook has a great chance of addressing that criticism next season. He will be aiming for nothing less than to win his first ring alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If he does improve his shooting in the offseason, it will only ease the pressure on him and the Lakers to win the title next year.
#1 Ben Simmons
The late great Kobe Bryant once said Ben Simmons needs to get a jump shot, or else he would regret it. That was the case for the Australian guard during the 2021 NBA playoffs and in the offseason.
Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers' 2020-21 season ended against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The 6' 9" point guard had a dismal postseason campaign, where his inability to make jump shots was on full display. That eventually led to the Sixers' exit.
Simmons passed on an easy layup in the dying minutes of the elimination game against the Hawks in the playoffs. Had the Sixers won that tie, they could have progressed to the Conference Finals.
But that wasn't the case, and now the Australian is on the trade block. But it doesn't end there. His suitors are unwilling to give up key assets of their organization for his service, as they do not view Simmons as a reliable player, largely because of his shooting woes.
Simmons has made just five 3s in his career. Almost all of the points he has scored in his career have come by driving to the basket. As a point guard who can defend any position from 1 through 5 and create an impact as a playmaker, Simmons would become one of the best players in the league if he starts making jump shots.
Wherever he ends up playing next season, it will likely be a make-or-break campaign for Simmons. That's because time is running out for him to make a mark as an elite player and a point guard.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
